DIGITAL MEDIA MASTERS;LYNN BOLGER;SOFTBANK INTERACTIVE

When lynn bolger graduated from college, she put her zoology degree to work in the field of biomedical research. But she soon realized her mistake.

"I went into it because I enjoyed animals and wildlife, but the day-to-day work was very solitary," she said. "I thrive on an atmosphere with lots of people, one that's very fast-paced."

So she got a job in advertising, the fastest-paced industry she could find. Then, in 1992, Ms. Bolger caught a glimpse of new media.

"I had a strong personal interest in computer technology, and I was fascinated by what people were talking about for the future," she said.

She and a few others set out to educate colleagues and clients. "At first we had to flail our arms a lot," she lamented.

Her persistence laid the groundwork for Web advertising campaigns by such mass-market brands as Nabisco Biscuit Co. and Campbell Soup Co.

Ms. Bolger recently joined Softbank Interactive Marketing, where her charge is to provide support and build sales for Web sites such as Yahoo! and Netscape.

"My biggest challenge with this job is to take interactive media out of the alternative media realm and bring it under consideration for all media planners. Basically, to bring it into the mainstream."

Betcha didn't know: Ms. Bolger has five computers at home, enough so each family member-including the live-in nanny-can go online whenever they want to.